Vehicles often include mechanisms for determining the levels of fluids (e.g. air, oil, other liquids, etc.) in various vehicle components. For example, tire pressure monitoring systems include pressure sensors operative to detect the air pressure within a tire. Dipsticks are used to check the engine oil level. In rotating driveline components of vehicles, several methods of checking the oil or other liquid levels are used. A plug may be removed from the driveline component to check the oil level with the operator's finger or a dipstick. Alternatively, a sight glass or liquid gauge may be coupled to the rotating component to allow an operator to view the oil level in the component through a clear glass or tube. However, the threaded plug and sight glass are often difficult or cumbersome to access by the operator. Further, the sight glass is prone to leaking and/or being damaged. Further, the vehicle and driveline component must be stationary to determine the oil level using the threaded plug and sight glass mechanisms. Other mechanisms for fluid level detection often add more parts, cost, and complexity to the vehicle.
With many driveline components having large maintenance intervals, slow leaks in the components may go undetected for long periods. A slow leak eventually may lead to inadequate lubrication in the rotating component, potentially causing damage to the component. Replacement of driveline components is expensive and leads to undesirable and costly machine downtime.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a liquid level detection system for a rotatable driveline component of a vehicle is provided. The system includes a sensing device coupled to the rotatable driveline component of the vehicle to rotate with the rotatable driveline component. The sensing device is positioned to detect a liquid in an interior region of the rotatable driveline component during a rotation of the rotatable driveline component. The sensing device is operative to transmit a signal representative of a liquid level in the interior region of the rotatable driveline component. The system further includes a receiver operative to receive the signal representative of the liquid level and to determine the liquid level in the interior region of the rotatable driveline component based on the signal.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.